Sword of the End
by FarWriter
Summary: Chaos and lawlessness plagued the country of Eostia. How will they be able to bring peace back? Well... this young man have saved the world once!


**Disclaimer** : The elements you read in this story belonged to their respective owners. Only the plot is the one I own. Any similarities here and forth between characters and real life people are purely coincidental.

* * *

The tension in the dining room is high. The man who is sitting across him is enjoying the tea he has made. He was supposed to make his way to the Department of Modern Magecraft theories when suddenly...

"You got a nice flat here, Shirou Emiya. I do wonder why you chose to live in Savile Row. There are many apartments near the Buckingham Palace."

"Most of them happened to be a bit expensive for me, Wizard Marshall. Besides, only a handful of mages from the Association ever bother to come to this part of London."

The vampire chuckled at the statement of his. So young and yet held every potential of becoming a proper mage is avoiding the clutches of the Association. But perhaps it's for his own good too since his name has a bit of notoriety amongst mages.

"I'll cut to the chase then," He rose up to his feet and made a solemn expression. "Your life is in danger, Shirou. As per rules, you are now a Sealing Designee."

Shirou knew that this time will eventually come, it's just that he didn't expect it to be sooner. His desire of saving Rin Tohsaka forced him to unleash his Reality Marble. It was necessary, seeing that Altrouge Brunestud's bodyguards are the one's facing them. If it wasn't for Tohno Shiki's mystic eyes, the battle would have been in the Apostle's favor.

"Why am I still alive then?" Shirou asked.

"Because I deemed it not to be, friend." Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg assured him. "But you'll be on the run for the rest of your days. That is simply no way to go for the likes of you."

The vampire took out what seemed to be a gem of sorts, prompting the redhead to touch it. Without the slightest hesitation, Shirou touched it, a flow of prana entering his Magic Circuits. A burning sensation overwhelmed his entire body and he's slowly weakening.

"Wha? Wait..." Shirou held on the robes of Zelretch but he ultimately passed out.

"I wonder if this is enough for the Tohsaka heir..." The vampire wondered but he felt compelled to give the young man a chance to become what he wanted to be.

* * *

 _Not the invincible swordsman Jūbei,_

'Where am I?'

 _neither the highly praised master of espionage Hanzō,_

'What is this?'

 _nor the renown Onmyouji Abe no Seimei._

'Is this mine?'

 _More than anything, just a swordsmith._

'Wait... I...'

* * *

Shirou forcefully opened his eyes, frantically waking up and he immediately clutched his aching head. The dream that he had... what was it? That was the first time that he had seen those. The fire surrounding him and the continuous hammering like something was being forged. For some reason, those words echoed through his mind...

He let his vision wander around; he seemed to be sleeping for god knows how many hours. It may also took him days or even weeks. The one thing that he had noticed is that he is in some kind of tree house. There are also some wooden furniture, ranging from small drawers and gigantic cabinets. He stood up from the bed he is in and looked outside of the window, the sunlight beaming right across his face.

Shirou tread downstairs, arriving at what seemed to some sort of living room and right beside him is a miniature kitchen.

"Hello? Anybody at home?" Shirou called out but no one answered. Maybe the owner/s aren't around? He walked outside of the place; the lush greenery filled every corner of his vision. Trees and flowers blooming around and a crystal clear pond enhanced the nature around. He was slightly amazed by the beauty of it.

"You have awakened." A voice called out from behind. The woman is wearing a white robe, covering her entire body, her green eyes, and blonde hair that were done in a braid. Nevertheless, what caught the attention of the redhead are her pointed ears.

"Where am I?"

"You're currently in my abode. You passed out near the forest entrance."

"Is that so? I would like to give my greatest gratitude towards you," Shirou averted his eyes from the woman's ears but it proved to be futile.

"Is this the first time that you have seen a High-Elf?" The woman asked.

"Yes, usually I encounter far more horrifying creatures," Shirou noticed the elf's eyes frowned by his words. "Oh no, I'm not implying that you're horrifying or your entire race in that matter."

Shirou palmed his face, apologizing to the elf. "Do not worry; I'm assuming that you have lived your entire life battling these creatures?"

"I guess you could say that," He straightened himself up, extending his hand towards her. "The name is Shirou Emiya. May I know the name of my caretaker?"

The elf looked at his hand with uncertainty. Did he do something wrong? If that was the case then...

Shirou pulled his hand away from hers. "If you don't want to, I understand."

"No, it's fine. My name is Anna Florence; it's a pleasure to meet you, Shirou." She took the courtesy herself of shaking hands with him in which the redhead more than eager to do so.

"Are you hungry by any chance?" She questioned.

"I guess a meal won't be bad, Anna."

The pair entered the house with Shirou taking a seat across the counter where he can see Anna working. It would be intrusive if he were to do it. All those years of spending time with Rin made him a bit more observant of others. He can't thank the Tohsaka heir enough for beating the crap out of him whenever he's done that will make others worry for his safety.

"So... Shirou... what brings you here in Serenus?" Anna said, flipping the pan she is using.

'Serenus? What kind of name is that? Wait... the Kaleidoscope! Shit! The vampire has done this to me!' Shirou raged inside that he didn't notice Anna.

"Shirou?"

"Oh? Uh yeah... I am on a journey of self-discovery after my teacher... dumped me." Shirou emphasized the word dumped really hard. That was the only conclusion he can draw upon. He can't necessarily say that he came from another world due to the meddling of an old vampire.

"You seemed to have a rocky relationship with your teacher."

"Believe me... his pranks are 'out of this world' literally." Anna chuckled a bit by his description of Shirou's teacher.

"He sounds more like a troublemaker then," Anna settled down the plate to his guest. "I hope that you find it to your liking. I seldom serving human food so..."

The presentation of the meal was simple enough though the taste was yet to be tested. He grabbed the spoon and fork, cut through the meat, and put it in his mouth. Surprisingly enough, it was passable and while there is some room for improvement, it was edible.

"Hmm... for an elf who seldom to serve human food, this is good," Shirou commented.

"Thank goodness." Anna sighed with relief.

"Can you tell me more about this Serenus? I am a bit clueless about the geographic area around." Shirou asked.

The face of the High-Elf turned downtrodden, turning her face away from him and he immediately noticed it. This goes on for a whole hour with no one exchanging words even with Shirou finishing his meal. Anna mustered all the courage that she have and breathe deeply.

"There is no Serenus anymore. Only a land plagued by lust-filled men hell-bent on conquering every nation around. No women are safe at the hands of men." Anna's solemn expression filled the area.

"What happened?" Curiosity gets the better of him.

"They came in the time we didn't expect. They conquered the Dark Elf queen and with the help of their demonic allies, each and everybody were either killed or were to become a slave."

"Who would do such a thing?"

"It's a long story, Shirou and I don't want to talk about it anymore," Anna dried her hands with a towel. "This is the only sanctuary that I have so I would appreciate it if you keep this place a secret."

"Um... sure," Shirou reassured her.

"Thanks. If you ever needed something just call me. I'll be resting upstairs."

* * *

Shirou stared at his own reflection in the water, nighttime has already arrived, and Anna has already fallen asleep. As for him, the fact that he is transported to another world didn't go too well for him. The existence of elves and demonic beings like Anna told him, made him realize that this world has an abundant amount of prana.

He sighed and dipped his hands into the water before washing his face. Upon opening his eyes, his reflection changed that of his future self.

'What is it that you desire?'

"To help people, of course."

'You are a hypocrite.'

"We both are but we are what we are. It's in our nature to help." His reflection reverted to his younger self once more. Shirou stretched his body and returned to Anna's home, carefully opening the door as to not wake up the sleeping elf. He sat in the chair and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander in the world of dreams.

* * *

Anna Florence woke herself up to the smell of something being cooked. She rubbed the sleepiness from her, wondering who is cooking this early in the morning. Upon descending, she was stricken by the irresistible smell of food sprawled at her table. It was actually different from what she is used to or perhaps this is the first time someone cooked for her.

"Hey, um, I used your kitchen if you don't mind. Please, have a seat." Shirou offered a seat in which Anna quietly complied.

"This is..."

"In my place, we called this eggs benedict. This should leave up to its name."

Anna took the 'eggs benedict' apart with her fork, noticing how intricate it is. As if it was carefully crafted and taking it apart would be a blasphemy to the creator. She glanced at Shirou who only signalled that it is alright to eat it the way she wanted it. Anna took one bite and she was immediately overwhelmed by the goodness of it.

"Good heavens! Is it possible for eggs to be this delicious!?"

A smug appeared in the redhead, she was an addition to the numerous clients that he had bewitched with his cooking. "There's more to where that came from."

Anna Florence won't knew what's coming for her for letting such man whose knowledge at the kitchen earned him many nicknames!

* * *

"Where are you going?" Shirou noticed the High-Elf is slipping in a robe that completely hidden her entire frame.

"Outside of the barrier," Anna replied hastily. "I need to check on my friend."

"...Let me accompany you."

"No, it's far too dangerous for a civilian like you."

"You said that it's not safe especially for women. Trust me; I am more than capable of protecting us both." Shirou reassured her. The woman scratched her head, thinking of the time that she might waste if she argued back.

"Alright but you need to change your clothes, you stand out too much. I have some spare clothes that you can wear." She hurried back to her room and found an old one amongst the drawers. "Here! Change to this. I'll wait for you outside."

The redhead slipped in his disguise and hid his clothes. He found the leather a bit uncomfortable to his skin. But if it will help him blend in with the crowd, so be it. He made his way downstairs where Anna is waiting.

"Let's move." The High-Elf led the way with Shirou readying blueprints from his head in case of a hostile attack.

He had witnessed the first signs of magic around courtesy of his saviour, Anna who chanted some sort of spell. The small waterfall revealed a hidden path outside of the sanctuary. Upon first look, this was a synthetic cave whose purpose is to conceal the paradise behind. It was enforced by some kind of high-level magic too. Shirou didn't say anything about it along the rest of the way.

"Where exactly are we going?" Shirou asked the woman in front.

"The fortress city of Ansur to be exact. An elderly there is hiding my friend and her people from the bastards themselves. I need to bring them to my home before it's too late." A hint of anxiety escaped her lips.

"Just who are these 'bastards' anyway?" If he were to judge them by the way Anna is describing them, these people are genuinely heartless.

"A mercenary group called Black Dogs." Anna spat out with disgust. "They're the reason for all this mess."

She came to a halt beside the treeline where the wreckage of the city is still intact. There are numerous humans lingering with the monsters. Shirou also saw it too with his reinforced eyes. The pair stopped at the treeline and from afar, numerous human guards are in their posts.

"How can we get inside?" Anna racked her brain for any ideas that will allow them to go inside the fortress city without igniting the others.

"Wait, you said that men rule this place, am I correct?" He questioned.

"Yes, why did you ask?" She glanced at him.

"Well... I will have no problems getting so I'll be the one to go in your stead instead. Just wait here and be on the lookout."

While his suggestion seemed to be plausible, she also cannot think of a way to go inside without anyone leering lustfully at her. She can only rely on him to make sure that her friend will be spared from this horrible treatment of women. Anna took out an insignia from her robes and handed it over to Shirou.

"First, you need to find the nearest cabin and present this insignia to the one at the old man in the counter. As for its location, I'm sure that one of the guards would show the way for you."

"Got it." He was about to make his way when suddenly, Anna drew closer to him.

"Shirou, be careful and please save them."

"I will." He nodded at her words and readied himself.

He slowly approached the gates before a human guard stopped him from entering.

"State your business."

"I am simply here to unwind, sir," Shirou replied, keeping his face hidden from the cloak that he's wearing.

"Hmph... it's a good idea for the likes of you to mount a woman then!" The guard happily said, earning nods from his fellow men. "This is the nation of service! You can get laid to any woman that gets your fancy! Whether they like it or not!"

"I see, I'll take up your offer then. If I may, can you show me the nearest inn? I would like to soothe my aching body."

"Oh, you see that sign over there?" The guard pointed at a rundown building. "An old geezer is running the place there."

Shirou gave a nod and made his way. The picture that he had in his mind upon hearing the nation of service is naked men forcing their way to women. But the city itself is almost... quite as if nothing is happening. Maybe the real thing will happen sooner. Nevertheless, he had an inkling that behind those walls... it's already commencing.

He arrived at the inn, a lone atmosphere settling inside. He would have expected it to smell like a brothel but surprisingly it was not. No one is present at the counter, prompting him to call out for anyone that will entertain him.

"Yes," A wrinkling old man came out of the back. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Shirou didn't waste any time, sliding the insignia over the wooden counter. The old man seemed to be unperturbed by his display. "Where did you get that?"

"I'm a friend of Anna Florence. She sent me here to help her friends escape." He lowly muttered.

"I see, women gaining entry in here wouldn't be possible especially with Anna's likeness. Though, I am a bit adamant sending them to a _man_." The old man boldly said.

"I can also say the same to you. I can say that you do not approve of this 'nation of service' much like I do."

"Of course, ever since the downfall of the Seven Shield Alliance. The Black Dogs occupied the cities and any male who does not want to participate are either taken as slaves or worse... killed." The old man poured some booze in a glass but the redhead refused. "I guess being old has its own perks. I simply wanted to live the rest of my days in peace. I don't want to spend that in a city which smells like a brothel every day!"

Shirou smiled at the elder, seeing such soul who is not driven by lust and instead wanted to settle down in peace. The old man led him to a trapdoor downstairs and he found himself face to face with a handful of elves. The only difference is that they are dark-skinned as opposed to Anna's. The children held their hands tightly to the women as he dodged the sword that nearly cut his head off.

"Well, that was quick," Shirou backed off, raising his hands. "I was sent here to get you out of here safely."

"Why should we believe you?" The dark-skinned elf who has the composure of a warrior spoke, readying herself against him.

"Because she was sent by Anna," The old man intervened, handing over the leapt to the elf whose eyes widened by his words. "Okay everyone, did you packed your things away?"

All of them nodded their heads. "Good, let's load the women first then the children. The men will guard the entrance should any of those stupid mercenaries come here."

They moved at a fast pace, the man leading them out of the back where a carriage is waiting for them. They began loading the women while the little ones are waiting. As for Shirou, he is now with three male elves that are more than cautious around him. While he certainly is not an enemy, these sorts of situations will surely test one's trust to the others. He peeked out of the window, noticing that a group of around six men are approaching the inn.

The rage within the elves eyes caught the redhead's attention and the owner signaled him that everyone has been loaded.

"Hey, you three," Shirou called out, catching the attention of the three men. "You need to protect your women especially the little ones. Go to them and I will handle this."

The elves looked at each other and back at him, nodding to the redhead's words as they ran towards the back. The owner went to his position and told him to act as if he's a new folk around. Shirou covered his face again with his robe and sat at the table where he can see and hear the conversation.

The doors of the inn opened, revealing the mercenaries though, by the way, Shirou saw them, and they're more like cannon fodders. Nothing noteworthy except their mouths and the odour that their bodies are releasing didn't help at all.

"...What do you want? I already paid my earnings to your boss."

"We're not here for that, geezer," The leader of the pack shot back at the owner, noticing the one individual who is sitting quietly in the corner. "You, noticed anything strange around here?"

"No, sir, I've been here for awhile now." The young man replied.

"We have information that you're keeping Dark Elves in your shack here," The owner winced a bit but he desperately kept his composure. "If you handle them over to us, we'll allow you to leave the city peacefully."

The old man gulped his spit, glancing over at the redhead who stood up to his feet. The mercenary leader rose his eyebrows at the sudden movement. His lackeys readied their weapons in case the redhead do something wrong.

"I will lead you to them... if you allow us out of this city."

Silence permeated the air, none ever dared to say anything until a laugh was heard. The mercenary leader cackled at the redhead's proposition. "Did you really think that we, Black Dogs will allow scums such as you out of here?" The man took his sword out, pointing it at his stomach. His lackeys cuffed the owner despite his protests. "Show where they are or I'll spill your guts to the floor!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," A stone rolled out of his palms, confusion was evident by everyone except for him. It initially exploded to a bright searing light, stunning the mercenaries for a moment. "Let's get out of here!"

Shirou grabbed the dazed owner, running towards the back alley where their ride is waiting for them. He loaded the man behind and rode the carriage. "Get us out of here now!" He screamed out but the driver seemed adamant to follow him.

"Just do it!" This time the dark elf warrior commanded, speeding their way towards the gates. Shirou saw the mercenaries who recovered from the flash running towards them.

"Stop them!" The leader called out to the guards who are now brandished with crossbows.

"Don't stop for anything!"

The horses galloped even faster with the children clinging onto their mothers with fear evident in their faces. They escaped prosecution from their human masters and after the downfall of their queen, Olga Discordia; their kind is on the run once more. While this has been going on for many decades, the Dark Elves only wanted to live peacefully without the fear of being hunted down.

They didn't stop for anything until they got across the guards who are now giving chase to them. The mercenaries immediately rode their horses and followed them from behind. The males in the group searched for anything inside the carriage to slow the mercenaries down but to no avail, no objects can be seen. The redhead mage moved back, wielding his trusty black bow and a handful of arrows in his palms. As to where he got it, he's leaving it to the elf's imagination.

Shirou loaded an arrow, took aim at the one in front, letting the arrow loose in the air. The horse together with its passenger got hit, tumbling down hard on the ground. saviour continued for a while, never missing a single target in his eyesight. The lot of them mercenaries met the same fate, having an arrow in their heads or bodies. By the time the redhead loaded the last arrow, he already took their pursuers out.

None of the passengers or the female elf in the front said a word. Shirou sighed a bit and sat back, setting down his bow beside him. A thought suddenly occurred to him, they forgot about Anna!

"Wait! We've left Anna behind!"

"She can take care of herself, human." The elf replied as if she knew her personally. "This is Anna we're talking to."

Shirou didn't take any of that, jumping off the carriage and retracing the steps back to the city. The passengers call to stop, telling the warrior that their savior ran off to where Anna is. The elf clicked her tongue, while she trusted the ability of her best friend's ability to conceal; leaving her behind didn't go too well for her as well. The decision whether to leave Anna behind for her people was a tough choice.

No, she must trust her... and their mysterious benefactor.

"Let's move."

* * *

Shirou leaped through the treelines and his reinforced eyes caught Anna's unconscious form being loaded. The mercenaries looked of lust evident in their faces, touching her body all over. He readied his bow once more, projecting arrows that could stun them. The arrows hit the three mercenaries in their heels, their faces flat hard on the ground.

He approached the knocked out mercenaries, checking whether they're really out or not. After reassuring, he rode the horse and settled Anna, securing her behind him. He galloped away from the scene back to Anna's place.

Shirou could feel the High-Elf's breathing from his back. It made him think of his purpose in here. Much like the Wizard Marshall said, his life is forfeit back in his world. This place itself has also problems of its own. Whatever purpose he might serve, helping these people restore peace in their lands will be his objective for now.

"No, please!" The shrieked voice of Anna grated his ears. The elf frantically looked around her, noticing the young man in front who was startled from her screams. "Wait, Shirou... where is Grace? Where are they!?"

"Relax, they escaped successfully. I only come to pick you up since... well... I forgot about you." Shirou meekly said. "Can't have the one who saved me being captured by those men."

Anna suddenly remembered it, she unknowingly stepped on a trap herself and tried to escape from it. The Black Dogs caught wind of her location and dropped her unconscious. She shivered at the thought of being forcefully handle by men, having their way towards her.

"Anna?"

"Thank you, Shirou," The High-Elf smiled at him though he was more focused on the road ahead of them.

"No problem. I guess we are now even, huh?"

"Yes, we are."

* * *

The duo arrived at the waterfall where the Dark Elves were sorting their things around. They immediately garnered attention the moment they stopped. Shirou stepped down, assisting Anna who is looking for her friend.

"Anna!" An elated Dark Elf caught the High-Elf in a hug.

"Grace!" A reunion of long lost friends who haven't seen each other for awhile now. The last time that they actually talked is before the whole fiasco of the Black Dogs. Now that they have reunited, they can finally have some time without the threat of being seen.

"Those scums didn't do anything to you, did they?" Grace ran her hands over the High-Elf's body, looking for any evidence.

"No, Grace, it was thanks to him that I avoided being held by those mercenaries." Anna pointed towards the redhead who led the horse in the waters.

"Who is he by the way? I still can't believe that a human of all things would be the one to save us..." She mumbled under her breath.

"He can be trusted. For now, you and your people need to rest, it's also getting dark out here."

Grace helped her fellow Dark Elves in their stuff, watching the young man offer as helping hand to their things. However, no one took up on his offer as he silently followed them from behind. They entered the hidden sanctuary and were marveled at the growing environment around them. As customary of them being close to nature, she felt a bit ease around. She saw the gigantic tree and her guess is that this is where Anna is spending her nights in, judging by the windows.

"Alright, everyone!" Grace called out to her people. "We are all safe in here as long as we do not venture outside. I know that there are still some of us being held against our own will. I promise you, I will do anything in my power to free them."

There were no cheers or anything of sorts, the Dark Elves were uncertain by Grace's words. One of them gathered the courage to speak for the lot of them.

"Grace, we appreciate everything you've done to us, we really do. But, there is no way for you to free them without fighting those mercenaries. Our queen and her handmaiden..."

"She is not our queen anymore!" Grace interrupted. Hatred filled her eyes upon hearing it. The man sat down once again, opting to let others speak in his stead.

"He's right," This time the inn owner got up. "Fighting the Black Dogs is suicide, that's for sure. Hell, it's because of Volt's charisma and promise of power is the reason why our country is now named 'Cuntry'!"

A snickered was heard and they all turned around to see who it was. The redhead us muffling his laughs but failed to do so. He immediately cleared his throat, pardoned for his rude behaviour, and commenced them to continue.

"As I was saying, I heard about this revolutionary army that is lurking in the southern border."

"Please, not one of your outlandish stories again." Grace rubbed her aching temples. The story is about an army of exiled soldiers hailing from Eostia are hiding in the borders. As to whether they exist or not are still debatable up to this point.

"It's not like you'll lose something if you seek them out right?"

"How do we even know where to find them? The Black Dogs are planning to sweep down the borders to ensure that no one's leaving the country." Grace added.

"I know where to find them." The old man finally declared and everyone around looked at him. "They call themselves, the Right Arm."

Grace wasn't really sure whether to trust him or not about this. But the way he described them, it seems that he knew of this army. Nonetheless, she's running out of options. The more time that she spent doing nothing, the less probability of the survival of their people.

"Well, how about we discuss this thing for tomorrow? I'm sure everyone is tired and hungry so I'll be the one to prepare dinner." Anna butted in, seeing that her Dark Elf is a mess now.

"Let me help you." The redhead raised his hand and accompanied Anna back to her home.

* * *

Shirou held the knife in his hands, cutting and mincing different ingredients for his soup. The High-Elf, on the other hand, is handling other things in the kitchen. They mostly worked in complete silence until he broke it with a question.

"What are the objectives of these mercenaries anyway? Aside from ruining people's lives." He poured in the vegetables in the boiling water.

"To conquer every country in the entire Serenus continent. That's all." She smelled the soon to be soup from the pot and its aroma reached her nose. She gave a nod to his work, readying the bowls they will serve to the Dark Elves.

"Conquering an entire continent? That's way too ambitious and impossible to accomplish." He puts the final changes to his soup.

"Well, their leader is ambitious actually, besides he also garnered the favour of the demons from the North." She grabbed a spoon and got a taste of his soup, shivering at her core the moment it made contact with her tongue.

"Demons?" Shirou carried the gigantic pot while Anna took the plates and the utensils.

"I don't know the exact details but Grace knew what truly happened. It's just that... she really doesn't like humans that much."

The mage nodded at her words, observing the interaction between Grace and the other female Dark Elves. The males are busy, setting up tents for them to sleep in. Anna called out to them and they grabbed their share of plates and utensils. The High-Elf served them one by one and excited looks were evident in the eyes of the young ones.

"Anna, are you sure that this thing is... edible?" Grace was the last one in the line.

"Geez, still doubting my ability to cook, eh? I've been practicing to improve!" Anna cutely pouted at her bestfriend.

"I'm guessing that the man behind you is the latest victim?" Grace smirked at her.

"No, I made this soup myself and its good." The redhead said with certainty.

"Let's see about that. One serving for me please." The High-Elf poured in a handful at the Dark Elf's bowl.

His prowess in the arts of cooking has reached a completely new level and he was damn proud of it. He captured different reactions from them. The women commenting how warm it is and the men being reminded of the times they hunt wildlife. The children already asked for seconds to which Anna happily complied. Fortunately, he had made enough to satisfy their cravings.

"Hey, human." The Dark Elf faced him. "I would like to say my thanks for saving us and Anna."

"...I thought you loathed humans?"

"Just a few of them actually. If I keep loathing your kind for what you did to us, I would not have last long enough to see the kindness of the inn owner," She glanced at the old man who is merrily drinking with the male elves. "Besides, I can let off some steam by killing those scum mercenaries."

"If you say so. I am not in the position to judge you for your actions." He replied.

"That's good. We have yet to introduce each other," She offered a hand towards him. "Grace Campbell."

His hand met hers. "Shirou Emiya."

"I'm sure that we'll be working again in the future. Let's get along, shall we?"

"I like that."

With that, Grace went back to the camp where Anna is waiting for her. Banters and laughter were shared throughout the evening. This peace that the Elves had was simply enough to keep aside their problems for a moment until tomorrow. The elves gone through their tents to spend the rest of the night.

Anna already retired to her room upstairs while Shirou is still in thought of the dream last night. That chant... he recognized those names, being part of Japanese mythology but to whom it was being directed, he has no idea. He closed his eyes and let fatigue take over him, maybe he will encounter it again but who knows when it will show up.

* * *

 _I once sought to create the ultimate blade._

 _Not a blade of steel to sunder flesh, or bone, or life._

 _No, what I sought was to bury hate._

 _A blade that would sever bonds. Sever fate. Sever karma._

 _Yet, I am unable to see that._

* * *

 **Anna Florence and Grace Campbell are characters from: [Kuroinu Gaiden] Elf Mura no Kanraku ~Chijoku to Kairaku no Utage~.**

 **Change some wordings in regards to Zelretch's status.**


End file.
